Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-06-16

Ok -cathc<lra 10 his disciples, and sIcnt the NJ.
naming years of his life In rctircment9 IL
any human being should In remembered
most gratefully ON This occasion, surely II Is
he, who coming into our midst, gathered up
all the educational prophecies of the past |
with reference to the college. make II p"ss'- |
BILE that they could be realized, and gave an
inspiration to his pupils which became
stronger and moro effective as they grew in
years. True; others contributed to the re-
suits secured, whose names and deeds will be
duly honored by those in charge Of this Cen
tsnnial. They were grand assistants To the
ter-Spirit but he was grAndcr and
mightier than all, and as such l pause t.
drop the tear Of affection over his grave
THE GERMAN GENIUS.
1t has been incidentally mentioned that the
founders Of the institution, and 1t might bc
added it's principal supporters, werc men
through whose veins coursed German blood.
Their ancestors had but little sympathy with
the superficial in the material, intellectual or
spiritual world. Their love for the beauti
f,l might not have been as pronounced rs
that of some Others, but their devotion to the
useful and the good was second To none
In their old home they had built their
churches, their castles, their houses not for
the passing moment, but as though for all
time, and similarly, all their material con.
structions were not made for show, but to
endure, were not made to please the eye but to
serve useful purposes, aud could always he
relied upon. Their education had no tolera-
ton for the superficial. ltmust lead the stu
dent deep under the surface where the primal
causes were to be found. Its students were
never satisfied with a mere plausible reason.
They demanded something profound and alb
solutely relevant. In search for this they
threw aside the thought of gain and the hope
of worldly ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 1t was truth
they wanted, and in their opinion no labor
was wasted that would make its quest u
complete success. lu spiritual matters the
same idea prevailed tho German religious
life was not the turbulent babbling Of a
shallow stream over rocks, pebbles or other
obstacles that might fill up its bed and Oh
struct its course, but it was the almost noise
less flow of the mighty river which, having
cut its way through all obstacles. and made a
channel free of all obstruction. through
which it could bear its freight ON to the
mighty ocean.
With such marked pecrliarites on the part
of its founders, the college must have grown
up to maturity, abhorring a super icial curri,
culum, and detesting the shams and make
shifts which are not unusual in the enter.
prses of the age Its curriculum must have
been designed for a full, rounded culture of the
/ student. hot pretending to hit him for any
| special profession, or pursuit in life, but S,
| training all his mental powers that, when h,
should be deemed worthy of baccalaureat,
houors, he might go forth ready to entc
| upon special preparation for the duties o
his future life. Its faculty set forth this ide.
| with all proper emphasis in their annual cir
| culars and evidently felt that whateve
might be the future fate of the col
| lege, it should be true to the course laiC
| down for ages As that best fitted for the care
| ful training of the young. All this WAS IL
! such strong contrast to the tendency of til,
| times To permit each student to study sucf
subjects only as might be peculiarly opposite
| to his future calling, that the conservatism
! which it manifested soon made it obnoxiou,
| 70 the epithet of fogyish " from the advo
| Gates of the " new " education.
THE CONSERVATIVE.
1t requires some courage in the individua
not to move with the tidal wave of fashion
| and a great deal for him to breast that wav,
| and endeavor to pursue his course in direc
| antagonism to its movements. 1t is SO eas,
| to harmonic with the tendencies of the day
| whether the results Of deliberate thought, o
the momentary impulses of mere whim
| Moreover, ones reputation for amiability
thereby established and strengthened. III
vino participates in the popular movemer
becomes necessarily a popular man, and ma
stand a chance to get the uncertain honor
| an election to the state legislature or the y;
tiOnal Congress. But he who steadily r.
fuses to yield to popular clamor, clings /
what has been tried in the years that hay
| preceded him, unless the weighticst reason
| are assigned for the transfer of his alleganc,
| is progressive SO far and SO far only as ths
| which is good and has been severely tre
| can be carried forward in the front rank v wit
him,-he may not achieve POPULARITY, indee
may be taunted as conservative to whoi
the epithet fogy is justly applicable, bu
his contemporaries will never deny him tn
| character of a strong and useful man, who's
life is precious tower of safety to the con
| munity, while those who come after him wi
| delight to hold him up to their children as
model worthy Of their imitation. The worl
has long since discovered that popularity
no proof of greatness or wisdom, or talen
or goodness, but in most cases, is rather sus
gestive of travesty Of all these, and beaI
with it the suspicion that success has bee
secured at the c ist of calm consideration an
earnest convictions.
Similarly, it requires courage for corpor'
tiOn to decline taking position in q NOV,
ment that has involved other corporation
organized for the same purpose, and this O
pecially when such action would give it I'll
glamour of popularity and possibly bring /
for the time being, great prosperity and p,
cuniary reward. The smaller the cOrpor,
ton, the more limited its resources, tf
greater its need for money,-the more str,l
lug will he its position and more entitle
to respect, if it clings to its own conviction
and declines to move adverse to them.
THE UTILITARIAS IDEA.
Many Of the smaller colleges Of the Ian
have acquired such record in their struggle
| against tho popular tide in education, whic
seems to have influenced some of our large
colleges to recognize but little as worthy OF
| place in the curriculum of studies, that ca
not be made Of pecuniary profit to the stl
dent. True such course was based upO
an utter disregard Of the idea that certai
studies are specially advantageous for the d,
velOpment of all the faculties of the min,
and that their employment as whole pr
vents the abnormal development of some
the expense of Others,-and which has Ia
the sanction of centuries. But the age WI
80 prolific in wOndrOus scientific discover,
I and still more wondrous application of Il
| same that restiveness under the slow an
sure methods of training speedily made
self manifest. The question was bluntly a,
dressed to our educatOrs-what use can v
make in our daily mercantile and mechanic
lines Of business, Of Latin and Greek root
of the dry detail Of logic and metaphysic
or slow methods of lifting youths for acti,
participation in the business of life? o.
motors are not the same as those used by o.
ancestors. The horse was supplantcd
steam when rapid transmission became a II
cessity, and We are now only impatient
awaiting the discovery of methods by whit